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I guess it is a good idea. The COPD issues are getting worse, which isn't a good sign. I am already useing Advair inhalation therapy.

Also, I am approaching the age my father had his first heart attack.

Smoking also lowers a person's HDL cholesterol, which I have had trouble raising to minimal levels.

Smoking probably isn't good for keeping my HIV at bay and probably opens the door for other problems, although I don't know of any direct correlation.

All of these things tell me I should not continue smoking.

But I fear I will miss it, nonetheless.

Worse, the panic is already setting in. Just the thought of being without my smokes causes me to panic.

Those who have never smoked may not understand this. Actually, even smokers may not understand this.

But, it happens.

Maybe this script will help. I hope so.

Patches didn't work. I used to smoke while wearing a 21 mg nicotine patch. Not a good idea, so I'm told.

Some may remember I tried quitting last year. It wasn't pretty. I started eating everything I could get my hands on. People started running the other way when they saw me coming. (I said I tried to eat everything I could get my hands on.)

I also became a compulsive cleaner. I scrubbed until my hands bled.

Now, what have I gotten myself into?

SIGH!

Mark

(Who now must find a rabid anti-smoker just so he can blow smoke in his/her face before he quits, just to say he did it.)

Good luck Mark! Maybe you should move to Aspen, and you and Eric can both have aching jaws from, er, sucking too many lozenges. Hope it works out this time. And if the going gets tough, aw shucks, you have this space to rant. (Maybe we should have a "Ranting and Raving Thread" specifically for people trying to quit smoking.)

As for me, I'm recently down to 3 to 4 cigarettes a day, a pretty big deal for me.

Another quitter -- hurray!

Jay

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Her finely-touched spirit had still its fine issues, though they were not widely visible. Her full nature, like that river of which Cyrus broke the strength, spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.

I know how hard it is to quit an addiction. Smoking seems to be one of the hardest things to quit because it is more socially acceptable but those television commercials airing here on every single network channel in New York are pretty blunt and cruel. You are giving up something that you enjoy and has become part of your life but you are also gaining peace of mind that you are doing something good to your body by quitting or even minimizing the amount of cigs you smoke. You can do it Mark!

I hope the new prescription helps. Definately give it a chance. From what I just read about COPD, it's a very serious matter. I've had my own fixes over the years and can somewhat relate to what you're saying but I also know that time eventually heals. Nothing is forever.

Hahaha.....that's what i said to myself yesterday when i was celebrating my 27th birthday!!! i hope you ca n do it.......and let me know if it works!! ok? been trying to quit for years, but just can't do it right~~~i wish you can with my birthday wish power!!!

I stopped smoking tobacco on the day of my diagnosis, my doc convinced me and I was ready and willing to follow her advice. Now or never, I told myself, and I'm proud to say that I managed to stay nicotine-free for the last six months. No plasters, no chewing gums, nothing but my free will. The only stuff I smoke now are some pure dutch herbs for relaxing purposes. On an occasional basis, not regularly. Doc says go ahead, no harm will come from that.

I feel your pain. I am on day 10 of not smoking. I'm talking a 20 year habit here. I am on Wellbutrin and will power. I am not using any nicotine replacement methods. I bought the lozenges, but never really used them because they taste like shit. Just take the medication the doctor gave you and continue smoking (try to cut back during this time if you can). After 2 weeks, stop smoking altogether. Get yourself ready. Change the times that you smoke to break habits..Throw away lighters and ashtrays. And then smoke your last cigarette. Here's the key that worked for me: Don't make a big deal about smoking that last cigarette. Just smoke it like you smoke any other one. And then just don't buy any more. If you are absolutely dying for one, bum one from somebody. DO NOT BUY A PACK! This is the best advice I can offer. The medication will ease the withdraw symptoms. After 3 days, you are home free from the physical addiction....then it's just the psychological part that you have to deal with. The urge to smoke will pass! Just take control. Don't panic. If you are ready to do this, you will do it. If this process takes longer than 2 weeks, so be it. I was on Wellbutrin for a month before I quit altogether.

I joined a gym....I know I needed the exercise to take better care of myself anyway. And the thought of lighting up after a workout seems so ridiculous. So the way I see it...by quitting smoking and starting exercise, I am no longer killing CD4 cells with carbon monoxide and hopefully producing more CD4 cells with the exercise.

I am actually on a mission to see if I can improve my numbers without HAART.

Plus, if I do end up living a long life, I don't want to spend my final years hauling around an oxygen tank.....

I am actually on a mission to see if I can improve my numbers without HAART.

I think this is a good goal; however, don't let yourself get into a trap of dispair if this does not improve the numbers. Sometimes they are out of our control regardless of the good we do. I speak from personal experience on this one. When I realized what I was doing didn't stop the declines I broke down for a bit.

Mark, He is right; you do need to quit. For me, it wasn't all that hard. I smoked over 2 packs per day and randomly picked a day to quit. For 2-3 weeks prior to that date, I cut out all caffeine and any other stimulants. The night before I quit, I smoked almost 3 packs in addition to the almost 2 I'd smoked during the day. It made me physically sick. The next day, I had a big, strong cup of coffee and thought about a cigarette and just the thought almost made me barf. I had lots of caffeinated drinks for a couple weeks, thenwent back to drinking my usual amount. For several months, the thought of a cigarette would make my stomach queasy and I'd quickly think of something else. It's been over 16 years since I've smoked a cigarette (never cheated or slipped up) and I've never regretted it. I did start walking a lot in the evenings which seemed to help. I stayed busy with work, projects, and exercise and didn't allow myself to think about it.

The other thing is to QUIT thinking about quitting. When I was having those damned Bicillin shots, just thinking about them would almost bring me to tears. After I just resigned myself to the fact that I had to have 'em, that there was no option, it wasn't nearly as bad. Also, don't give yourself the option to start back when you quit.

The Chantix has made it very easy for me to quit smoking. I'm not eating more, sleeping less, or anything. Its effective and very subtle. You take it for a week and continue to smoke. During this week, the Chantix builds up in your system. Day 8 was quit day for me and I'm now starting Week #3 without smoking. As I said, the Chantix is very subtle - nothing made me quit, other than having the desire to quit. Although it seems, the Chantix makes it easier by blocking nicotine's effect on your brain.

I can smell tobacco smoke on others now and while it still has a certain intoxicating effect on me, the greater effect is one of "Yuck, did I smell like that?" The urge hits now and then, but passes quickly, if you distract yourself. Suddenly, it seems like I have 3 extra hours a day to do something now that I'm not smoking. Cough is gone, voice is in excellent form.

If it helps to hear others' stories I'll add mine. This coming August will be 20 years off of cigarettes. I had smoked 17 years prior to quitting and quit at two packs plus per day cold turkey. Like RacingMind I threw away every accessory related to the habit--ashtrays, lighters, leather cases, etc. Where he and I differ...I had four cigs left and chain-smoked them fast and inhaled hard so each would hurt as much as possible. Within several days went through the withdrawal which I'd experienced a couple times before, gained 23 lbs (had gained 30 previously) which I eventually lost just by walking and being re-energized. During the initial weeks, if I experienced an urge, I took a deep breath as I was told by others the urge passes within a short period of time. Knowing I would gain weight---I looked at it as two problems 1. quit smoking 2. lose weight. In subsequent years, both smoking siblings also quit multi-pack per day habits. We are all grateful to have conquered this addiction. My father's death was hastened by emphysema and he'd smoked a number of years of his life on and off.

Like many things, much of this is played out in the mind. You are quite capable of doing this and the freedom is incredible. Food tastes better. You smell better. The world smells better. After a while, the hacking up in the morning will cease and you will find that over time, you'll be hanging out with non-smokers. It is a natural migration someone had alerted me to and by golly, it's true! From another angle, I found cold turkey was simpler for me to handle than coordinating patches, lozenges, etc. and less expensive, too.

You'll be so glad you dumped this habit and start thinking of how you can fund your trip to AMG with all the dough you'll save and savory goodies long after that!

Good Luck. Quitting smoking was very difficult for me. I am sure I quit 50 times, the last being for almost ten years. The three years prior to quitting I would only buy one pack a day at lunch time, and smoke one or two and throw the rest away. I got up every morning for years telling myself they would kill me cause they have killed every person over 50 in my family who smoked. The best time to quit is when you are sick,which seemed to be alot when I smoked. I must of had 100 ties with cigarrete holes in them. I would have smoking dreams the first 5 years I quit,waking up in a cold sweat knowing I had smoked only to find out it was a dream. You have to convince yourself they are killing you and that you are just committing a slow suicide. Thats what I did to quit.How can weed be illegal and this shit be legal?

Mark, The smoking addiction is an amazingly powerful thing. Just reading this thread makes me want to smoke one, and I quit years ago. Anyway, good luck buddy - and if you ever need a non-smoker to blow smoke at I'll volunteer if it helps !Ernie

January does seem to be the month, doesn't it. Sore jaws. Sucking. Big mouth. Like something drifting over from the I love p. thread

I wish you much success on this project, Mark, whether it's a direct flight or has some detours on route. I can only feel for you and the others imagining if I were asked to stop drinking coffee.

I would second, third or fourth having at least a thread here in which everyone working on quitting smoking can jointly post updates and offer each other support, as only people going through the process can (hence the living with hiv forum, right?). Best, Win

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Winthrop Smith has published three collections of poetry: Ghetto: From The First Five; The Weigh-In: Collected Poems; Skin Check: New York Poems. The last was published in December 2006. He has a work-in-progress underway titled Starting Positions.

It's been a little over a year since I quit and the only reason I quit was that I had to have my tonsils out and I never started again. If this is at all encouraging once I got over the "hump" I stop missing it. I smoked for about 15 years (I started VERY VERY young ) so I know what you are going through. Just stick with it and soon you are going to realize that it's easier then you thought.

I am pulling for you and please keep us updated on how you are doing. I think one thing you might want to do is every time you have an urge pull up this thread and look at the info Ray above me has posted. Ray, thanks by the way. I know my time is coming. It has been on my mind more and more. I saw something while at the clinic today about second hand smoke and I don't want to put my kids through this. They have become innocent victims to my nasty habit.

Like I said, please keep us updated on your progress. I am interested to know how the prescription aids you in quitting, because it maybe something I have to look into also. I quit for a year and a half about 4 years ago and instead of gum and candy would keep a toothpick in my mouth. It helps with that oral fixation us smokers have. I wish you the best of luck.

I've been taking Chantix for just over a month, I guess. I passed my quit date. But as time goes by I can really see the effect the drug has on my physical desire to smoke. I'm no longer enjoying the hell out of the cigarette. Many times I think about lighting one, I find myself saying, nah, don't feel like it. There is no physical craving at this point, pure habit. I had 7 cigarettes one day last week, and a day earlier this week, I had 3. All depends on what I'm doing during that day, and whether I forgot to take the evening dose . I know I'll be done soon enough.

Hi Mark, I knew about your big smile but now you got me confused with your big mouth !Oh, stopping smoking, blimey! Good Luck, I kicked it 4 years ago after a lot of trying, so it's possiblealthough v. difficult. But I feel ,well ,fresher and more oxygenised.

Mark, You can do this if you want it really bad. If you do not have the will to quit, all the scripts in the world will do you little good.

I quit smoking last May. Because I was ready to, pure and simple. I had an AM smoke outside in my patio, got dizzy and barley made it to the couch in the living room. That was it for me. I thought how stupid it would look if I died of Lung cancer after having survived HIV for 23 years!

The will to quit, along with a few bottles of Commit Lo-zingers did the trick. I know you Can do it. The only question is....ARE YOU READY?

I have a question, is Chantix teh same as Zyban?I've used it twice, and it does eliminate the desire to smoke. It just kicks in one day. The habit, and my lack of self respect, though got me both times. Constantly remind yourself, you are not giving anything up, you are starting a life free of the dirty weed. You never needed them before you smoked, and you will not need them again. Use as much positive reinforcement and support as you need to make you truly believe that this is a gain, not a loss. Gain back control of your life, your health and your money. Try to make it a positive life event.

I'm wishing you all the luck in the world, Mark. I want to quit smoking but when I try not to smoke, I go raid the fridge. I don't want to quit but then gain like 30 pounds. I'm going to have to talk to my doc about this Chantix but am not sure if my insurance will cover it. But then I'm switching insurance next week too. Keep us posted on how it's working for you.

Steve, I don't know the chemical make-up of Zyban, but from what I understand, this is a bit different.

It blocks or incapacitates the nicotine receptors in the brain. The way it is supposed to work, it reduces or removes the cravings caused by the nicotine addiction.

Is that how Zyban works?

I start tomorrow. You start with on 1/2 mlligram tablet in the morning for three days, then, on the fourth day, you take a half-milligram in the morning and another in the evening. You do this for a week, while still smoking.At the end of a week, you are supposed to start on a full milligram in the morning and another in the evening, oh, and give up the ciggies.

Akasha, I'll let you know how it goes. I am cautiously hopeful. It is costly though. A month's supply cost me $118 today.

You could simply move here to Arizona. They're really starting to tax the hell out of cigs and if cost isn't a strong incentive, I dunno what is?

Seriously though, I can empathize with you. I knew it was coming for me as well and so as I am writing this I am actually staying here at a friends house for the next week as she has asked me to watch over her house and her diabetic cat for her while she is back East visiting her sister. I chose to stop the cigs slowly (tapered off the last couple of weeks anyway), and completely quit two days ago. So far, the urge has been mild enough and I seem to be doing ok!

Good riddance to them and good luck to us all I say! We can do it. If not this time, try another time as I find it insulting to believe that the tobacco industry could get the best of me with their lies.

Btw, here's a sobering thought..., Be glad when you opened your big mouth, your doctor didn't say it was full of cancer.

Good for you on that Mark. For financial reasons I am doing the "white-knuckle/cold turkey" thing yet again. For some people I know this has worked and for others they have done better with chemical support in the form of the patch or gum. I just reached the conclusion that I am going to be here for 50 (that's also a while yet) so I decided I was over hacking up loogies every morning and having crappy breath that no amount of mouthwash/toothbrusing would mask. Not to mention the cost here in AZ now!

On a side note, does anyone else see the humor in AIDSMeds spell checker in the attached image? How could does Vietcong be cross-referenced as "white-knuckle"?